Metal Gear Solid: A Shadowed Vendetta
by CJM2
Summary: The Desert, harsh and cruel, holding all the sins of man and divine, teaches us life is not everlasting. Where the Snakes roam, and death looms..."
1. The Greater Of Two Evils

Prologue:

"_We have our own battles"_

"What the hell?" the man muttered to his partner. He was puzzled, almost frightened within the sound of his own voice. He walked along in the alleyway, speaking to Hal Emmerich, his partner in Philanthropy. Hal Emmerich, also known as Otacon, moved his glasses while talking to the man. Within the CODEC picture, Otacon appeared a scrawny man in his late twenties.

His light blue hair, parted at the top except for his bangs, covered the right side of his forehead. The hairs on the back of his head were scarcely able to touch his collar. His glasses covered his large blue eyes, underneath was his small nose and mouth. The white lab coat covered a green T shirt. His scrawny body was that of a scientist, true to his appearance.

The other man in the codec sported a dark blue bandana over his forehead, and a brown mullet beneath it. His green eyes rested beneath the bandanna, under which his normally sized nose and large mouth were present. Underneath were his brawny shoulders, covered by his sky blue sneaking suit, with several dark stripes covering it. The suit ran from his blue booted feet to his neck. This man was undoubtedly, Solid Snake.

Snake was working within the invisibility of the improved stealth camouflage. "Otacon, repeat what the hell you just said?"

Otacon stuttered and repeated the information found on the disc. "Sn-Snake, all of these men died over one hundred years ago, all of their graves are in Manhattan, there are even photos of the graves. One of them was a huge contributor to Philanthropy's operations and work."

Suddenly, Snake slowed his pace in the alleyway, feeling as if he was being stalked by something...or someone. He continued to speak to Otacon over the CODEC.

"These men, this data, is it all true? I don't want any more surprises." Snake muttered, remembering Otacon's fault at the Tanker incident.

"Yes, no flaws within the data, it's all accurate. I've triple checked it to be sure. Snake. Something odd is happening right now, even with the Big Shell over. Snake, this is frightening, this is a secret war that has been going on for one hundred years....and these men continued it beyond the grave."

Otacon's words began to make Snake queasy. His vision blurred for a short second, again.

Snake began to sweat, his eyes began to quiver, and he had succumbed to the stress of the major battles in his life: the Big Shell, Tanker, Shadow Moses, and he fell to his knees, and then onto his back. With Snake's thunderous plunge into the hard pavement, Otacon panicked. With his last breath, he said "Otacon, bring the car over he-" Snake fell.

"Snake? SNAKE?! Damn!" Otacon responded, panicking as he rushed toward his car.

He dialed a new frequency on the codec, 140.64, the frequency known to the communications expert Mei Ling. A young, oriental woman appeared in the CODEC screen. Her black bangs covered her forehead, underneath was her brown eyes, a cute nose, and minute mouth. Her sweet accent matched her beauty, and she was ready for action, as one of Philanthropy's own.

"Otacon? What do you need?" she asked kindly.

"Mei Ling, Snake's just collapsed in the alley, I need you to track his frequency. Hurry, there's not much time!" He spoke with many worries, as he had lost many things in his past.

"Give me some time-wait, found him, in the alleyway...about four blocks away from Arsenal's crash site. I'll try and get some satellite photos, I'll send them to you through the CODEC" she responded quickly.

"Thanks, get some blankets ready, and contact Naomi, she's the only one who could understand this." Otacon spoke, with some hope this time. He just needed to find Snake.

Otacon drove quickly on the Manhattan streets, going sixty, eighty, ninety miles per hour even. It was a short drive from the Philanthropy office even, but Otacon knew he should go as fast as possible to reach Snake.

With the help of Mei Ling via codec, Otacon was able to find Snake. He observed Snake's body, warm but frail. He was doused within his own sweat; his eyes were completely bloodshot and rolled into the back of his head. He was shaking wildly, in short bursts of anguish, almost as if he was having a seizure. No blood, no sign of wounds, nothing injected within him to cause this. Time was running out.

"Snake, Snake! Jesus, hold on! Snake, please, you need to fight. You need to survive; I've lost Emma, please, Snake, SNAKE!!!"

It was all just a blur to Snake, darkness consumed his vision. Otacon's words were given a deaf ear. Snake was passing into the unconscious, where he had never ventured like this before.

The shadows surrounded him, and he was consumed within them.


	2. Chapter One: A Lurking Past

Chapter 1: A Lurking Past

"_Whether this is real or a bad dream, I'll keep watching until the end"_

Snake was sitting there, holding his sniper rifle steady, and aiming strait at Vamp holding Emma Emmerich, the designer of Arsenal Gear and the Artificial Intelligence GW. He could see Vamp smirking while he choked Emma within his grip. Otacon was communicating with Snake trying to help in the situation.

"Snake, don't fire your rifle, no matter what! Vamp can sense your muscle movements and could kill Emma before you even pulled the trigger! Snake, let Raiden take the shot, he's the one who defeated Vamp before, he is the only one who could stop Vamp, and save Emma!"

It wasn't easy for a soldier like Snake to be told not to pull the trigger; his whole life was meant to that cause. He was a fighter, he was a warrior, and he was a legend, all because of his life. This was **his world**.

Vamp was holding Emma in a chokehold, her arms flailing around and loud gasps for air could be heard as his grip became tighter. At each gasp, Snake's finger became that many centimeters closer to the trigger. And at each of Emma's screams, Vamp's smile became bigger. The bastard loved doing this, he enjoyed torturing the poor girl. He wanted this, he was controlled by his greed for death.

Snake was about to pull the trigger, when three rumbling gunshots were heard in the distance. It was Raiden's PSG1, destroying the man who held Emma captive. The smirk on Vamp's face disappeared, it was in shock, feeling three bullet shots pour into his body. The first hit his right shoulder, the second in his right abdomen, above a previous wound from Raiden, and the third entering his right breast. Blood gushed from each wound, as his grip upon Emma loosened, as he began his demise into the ocean. But, he wanted death, he wanted bloodshed, the bastard wanted to fulfill his sick urges. Vamp quickly took his knife and pierced Emma's stomach. He then sunk once again into the Manhattan Sea. Snake watched in horror and anticipation of these events unfolding in front of him.

Vamp was defeated, Snake released his finger from the trigger, and got up, but something was wrong. He saw Emma staggering on the Bridge, and collapse to her knees. He quickly muttered over the CODEC, "OTACON! Get the Kasatka, quickly! Emma's been stabbed!". Otacon was fraught at those very words. All he could respond with was a short "Yes..." Emma's leg's wobbled, and she fell onto her back, giving the bridge a small quake. The water under the bridge rumbled, and the fall devastated all of the spectators. Snake was infuriated, Emma needed him, and he failed. But, he was reminded of a time his weakness caused the suffering of another woman, who was shot four times. He rushed to Emma, brandishing his USP, he ran on the Oil Bridge to Emma. A cypher approached the bridge from the left, Snake spotted it and fired to shots at the base. Parts exploded from it flying at him into the water and around him. Another cypher from the right, "Damn" he thought. He shot three more bullets at the second cypher, blowing it to pieces.

He finally reached Emma, and turned her unto her back. Bleeding from her abdomen, her shirt was stained in blood. She was unconscious, and her face was frightened when he saw it. She was in pain, Snake could do nothing to help, and all he could do was bring her to Otacon. The Kasatka was still damaged from the previous encounter with Solidus and Vamp, in the stocked Harrier jet. In mere seconds, Otacon arrived near the water, approaching the overturned Emma and Snake.

Snake gently lifted her over his shoulder, taking precaution not to damage the wound any worse than it already appeared to be. Meanwhile, Otacon landed close to the water, making sure not to touch, and trying to get as close to Emma and Snake as possible. Snake jumped from the oil bridge, carrying Emma on his left shoulder, making sure she kept balanced, and swam through the waters getting to the Kasatka. He thrust her on the ship, and pulled himself onto it easily.

As the Kasatka ascended, Snake veered onward toward a small, albino like man, wearing a unique suit. He was wielding a PSG1 rifle, and a suit that represented his skeleton. His light blonde mullet stood out slightly over his pale white skin. He watched Snake look at him, and he tapped his ear and gave a simple nod. This man was Raiden, observing the events that just unfolded.

Snake began speaking to him over the CODEC, dialing his frequency of 141.53. "Raiden, Emma's been stabbed! Looks like the bastard cut deep, she's bleeding pretty badly. We can't stop to give you a ride, we need to get Emma patched up and to Shell 1 as quickly as possible, it doesn't look like she has much time. Bring the Disc she designed, that's the only thing that can stop Arsenal." "Right" he responded, "I'll hurry there." He disconnected, most likely to relay this information to his commanding team.

As Otacon piloted toward Shell 1, Snake began bandaging up Emma's wound, working to keep her alive to finish her work. As Otacon landed on top of Shell 1, Snake gently slapped Emma and whispered "Emma, come on, get up! This is no time for sleep. We need you to set up your virus!" Emma tried muttering something, but Snake couldn't understand a word she tried saying. He lifted her up again, keeping as steady pace as he followed Otacon to the elevator. Down some of the stairs, they reached the second floor, a warehouse of oil supplies, food, and lockers. There were no guards; it was a ghost town within the Strut. Otacon spotted the elevator, rushed over and slammed on the button. His pain was drawing nearer and nearer as Emma's death approached.

Snake laid Emma down on the floor, her back resting against the elevator wall. On the way to B2, Emma woke up and began speaking to Otacon, softly, saying, "Hal, Hal, are we at B2? Is the computer ready? What is happeni-". Before she could finish, Emma coughed up some of her own blood. Otacon's reaction was heartbroken, because it looked as if she had suffered some internal bleeding. He kept saying "Just keep awake, we're on our way to B2." He tried to hold back his own tears, but you could see the pain in his eyes.

Emma was lifted once again by Snake, and she was set down at the computer. Otacon calmly asked her, "E. E., we need you to set up the computer for your virus. Take your time." Emma smiled and nodded, bringing some hope in Otacon's grim expression. Snake watched as she quickly hacked the Big Shell systems, this only took about thirty seconds in real time. She was just like her big brother, their attributes were uncanny when compared to one another.

Then, Raiden soon arrived to the scene, glancing at Emma's situation and Otacon's state. He looked at Snake and walked over to talk to him. But, suddenly, the entire dream turned into darkness, and then Snake was standing there alone. He could hear Emma's screams, Otacon tearfully yelling "E. E.!!!!", and Raiden questioning reality.

All of the sudden, Snake was standing there, wielding his M4 assault rifle, staring down the Dead Cell member, Fortune. "I can't say how happy I am that you were alive after all, Solid Snake!" she shouted at him. "Lady luck, huh? Let me see how much that luck lasts for you!" He screamed back out at her. "Kid, I can handle this, go on ahead." He said, nodding to Raiden.

He stared at Fortune, observing her electric volt gun, sparks flying off as she unloaded it, preparing for the battle ahead. Snake grabbed a new M4 clip, placed it in the assault rifle, and began to pull the trigger. Bullets flew at Fortune, but once they became as little as one foot, they flew right around her. She smiled, and raised her gun, and fired electrical shocks at him. Sparks flew everywhere, around him, some at his feet, others over his shoulders and hands. Snake dove to the left, dodging electrical charges by centimeters, and making a loud thud at the floor. He picked us his assault rifle quickly and kept firing, he used the entire clip to no avail, and she avoided every bullet. "Damn!" was all he could think. With no backup, no assistance, limited ammo, he was in trouble.

He continued firing, unloading and reloading clip after clip. Fortune kept firing her rail gun, using it to blast the ground around him. Flames were near Snake, he was running out of time. Bang! Bam! Bullets and charges were everywhere. Fortune stood wielding her rail gun, just firing wherever Snake stood. It was impossible to stay still for more than one second. She could stay in one place, no need for cover, just the will to fight. She desired this man's death over anything in the world. Her life was pure misery; this is the only joy, death. She was obsessed with it. He loaded his last clip into the M4, strafing to the right, aiming the gun barrel at Fortune. She saw him, and just fired a direct shot at his chest. "Augh!!!!" he screamed, right before he fell on his stomach, collapsing, electrical volts throughout his body, shaking on the ground. He blacked out, his pain was mind numbing.

Light was seen once again. Snake's eyes opened lightly, awakening the world he once fell before in. His eyes were opened, enough to see the Philanthropy office, with Otacon and Naomi standing near him, and then closed once more. Once again, he became knocked down by his own pain. He was briefly conscious to hear Otacon speak to him:

"Snake? That was one hell of a ride. You almost drifted away on me. Snake, wake up, and come back from the darkness. Come back to us at Philanthropy, we need you here Snake. Naomi, keep a close look at him, we can't have him die on us again." Otacon sounded in high spirits; Snake took a view of that. He couldn't be happier to be alive. Naomi nodded, causing her long brown hair swift forward, and she continued to write on her clipboard.

Back in his dreams, Snake was speaking to a brunette woman, whose appearance was similar to that of Emma's. Her facial features, however, were much different of those. "Snake," she spoke, "You must keep fighting the Patriots; they are trying to control you, they have held your life in control from the day you were cloned. Keep fighting Snake!" She leaned in and kissed Snake, holding his chin making him stay trapped in that moment. The room around them faded away, and so did the woman......


	3. Chapter Two: A New Dilema

Chapter Two: A New Dilemma

"_You see, you can't protect anyone, not even yourself"_

Snakes eyes flew open. He was wide awake, observing Naomi sitting by him, looking down at her chart, as usual. Her eyes swerved at Snake, looking at his current state. He was covered by a blue blanket, staring straight up at the ceiling, watching the light bulb flicker on and off. His custom blue bandanna was missing, likely taken off in his collapse. Snake's suit was also missing, he was just wearing a pair of old sweatpants, barefooted, lying on one of the office couches.

"So, you're finally awake, it took a long time for your vitals to re-stabilize, believe it or not, you suffered a very harmful seizure." Naomi spoke to him in her British accent, pronouncing her words with a formal matter.

He just sat there, kept looking at the ceiling, and began reaching in his pocket, looking for his cigarettes within them. There was nothing, just an empty pocket, all he could feel was the cloth of the pants.

"Looking for your cigarettes, Snake?" she calmly said. Snake's eyes widened, Naomi could read him like an open book. "Listen, I'm not a doctor, but I know more about the human body than you could imagine. Like, cigarettes destroy thousands of cells in your lungs with each puff....Didn't read that on the Surgeon General's Warning did you?" Snake began to smile, Naomi was back to her old self, and by her tone it sounded like he would be ok.

.....But, that didn't last long.

Otacon came in with no cheer on his face, just coming in, and staring at Snake with no emotion in his eyes. That look, it almost took the pain Snake had back inside again. It was the same look, the same look he had when Emma died. It was a man stripped of emotions, as if ghosts came from the grave had haunted him now. He nodded to Naomi, and she calmly strolled out of the room. Otacon grabbed a seat, and began easily with:

"Snake, Raiden is dead, he died around the same time frame you suffered your seizure." Otacon spoke, his words were frail and painful. Raiden, the rookie from The Big Shell, who helped in the destruction of Arsenal Gear.....was dead. "What?!" Snake yelled. All Snake could feel was it was his fault. Nothing could change the events at hand right now.

Otacon continued, "He suffered through the same symptoms, we wondered even if you would survive yourself. Something was linked between you, some sort of bond between his death and your life. Something....." Otacon drifted off, he was in the same shock as Snake. He could barely speak at all, as he had just gotten to know the kid, the one Emma cared about. She even spoke of him before his death, the way he had rescued her. Raiden had died a hero. Tears were forming in his eyes, one of the few links between Emma and himself was broken, once again.

All Snake could think of were Sniper Wolf's last words: "You are a Wolf...You will die the proud wolf you are." Snake was questioning Raiden's death, when he remembered Olga's child. "Otacon, what about Olga's child? Is it alive or dead?" Snake asked furiously.

Otacon responded silently lowered his head. "We.....don't know.....We don't even know the child exists...." But, that wasn't all of the alarming words that Otacon had to say. There was even more trouble, occurring in the T-K-G desert area. "That isn't all Snake, there's more." Otacon uttered.

"WHAT?!" Snake snapped at him. "About forty eight hours ago, we received a distressed call from a woman located in a military base at the edge of the Takla-Makan-Gobi Desert or the T-K-G desert for short. The woman had some important information on a new terrorist takeover; within the new housing project for the New Metal Gear, Codename: Raven. The sender called herself....Emma Emmerich." Snake was in shock. He and Otacon saw Emma die in front of their own eyes.

"But, Emma is dead, how could it be her? Was it even her voice?" Snake inquired. Otacon quietly answered, "It was her voice no doubt, and she said, that Fox, Vamp, and Liquid have all died, but they continued to live throughout their deaths".

"Damn, what the hell is going on...." Snake knew that Otacon had no idea what the answer was, no one did. Only the Twelve men who ruled the world knew the truth, the distinct facts within the lies surrounding them.

"Snake, we need to send you in to figure out what is real right now....we need to do this for Raiden...for Emma....and to take those bastards down once and for all!" Otacon spoke, feeling some sense, once and for all. It was time, time to fight, the pain was needed to be cured, and Snake was going to finish one final vendetta, against the twelve men who wanted him dead his whole life.

He was going to fight, because he fought for a reason this time, it was different from Shadow Moses or The Big Shell. Solid Snake was under his own orders in this event. He would fight for the ones he had lost himself. This was his only truth, his code.

"When do I go?" Snake promptly asked. "Huh?" Otacon was puzzled. He didn't even think Snake would go to this amount, he thought it would be a routine mission, under Otacon's supervision. This was different; Snake had his reasons for going into the battlefield this time. Otacon just smiled, Snake's words gave him hope, after these events, none had remained in him. It was all the hope he had, and all he could ask for.

First, get your sneaking suit and Codec from Naomi, then come back to me for mission details. "Gotcha" Snake responded. And, he went off to Naomi's office, in Philanthropy, completely shirtless, but it would not matter, it was only a short distance away.

"Naomi, I heard you have something for me, so, I'll need it ASAP." Snake demanded. Naomi got up at his request, and looked inside her office closet, and found the new Sneaking Suit. She laid it on her office desk, Snake veered at his newly designed costume.

It was a dark green, almost black, but it was light enough to tell the difference. His suit was modeled off of his previous light blue suit, except advanced through its new design. It was created to tone the muscles at every movement, but allowing for body heat to remain within the suit, along with a thin layer of nylon. Above was a vest going around the chest area, protecting from fatal shots overall.

But, Naomi explained with more detail to Snake. "Alright Snake, here is your improved Sneaking suit. It's modeled after the Shadow Moses and your previous suit, meant to improve upon the lacking parts in them both. The suit contains a rubber solution combined with a thin layer of Nylon to allow prevention of bullets entering the human body. Be aware, however, that, this suit does not make you bulletproof. Entering a firefight with this belief will get you killed, and so, remember my warning. The vest outside the suit is meant to protect from extra damage to your chest. The suit also improves your muscular systems and internal nanomachines. Mei Ling designed this suit herself, so you might want to thank her when you see her once again."

"Alright, I will. And remember this Naomi, a good soldier doesn't rely on his own protection, he relies on the belief within him to fight." Snake said; with a melancholy tone at each word.

"Here is your bandana by the way, we almost lost it in making the suit. Change out and then go to see Otacon. And, I must say you keep your bandanna like it is a personal possession; I have barely seen you without it." Naomi said smiling, while handing Snake his new uniform.

"Call it, a good luck charm...." Snake said, and he left the office, heading back to change, then to see Otacon, whom would give details about the mission from him. He was going with hope, going to be a warrior, once again.


	4. Chapter Three: A Confronting Mission

Chapter Three: A Confronting Mission

"_The world around us is changed over our motives and time itself"_

The memories inside his head taunted Snake, as he walked along the desert ground. He was heading for the mission….he questioned himself as he continued on the pathway, asking why he was driven to do this. Any other Philanthropy agent could have easily done the job….strange to say that he was the only one willing.

"I must be insane…" Snake thought. He thought of the dangers ahead, his "attack", and "Emma". "Damn, all too confusing", he reiterated. All of the past was feeling like a blur to him, the desert wind about him, with the sands being blown away,

"Snake, just remember the mission. Infiltration will go as planned, you'll have to hitch a ride on a military drop plane, dropping off in mid flight via parachute." Otacon stated.

"Guess I won't be getting an in-flight movie" Snake said sarcastically.

"In order to avoid detection, you'll be dropped four to five miles from the base. We would try to get you closer, but the restrictions of the new world radar and sonar technology, it would be suicide to tell if you were going without this. Remember, the desert is harsh, so be sure not to lose your supplies, as you'll need them. There's winds there that could tear the flesh from your skin in less than ten minutes, so keep your mask on at all times! Clear?"

"Understood."

"Continuing on, upon reaching the base, you'll need to contact me via codec and alert me of the base. I was able to hack some of the satellite images taken of the base, and adding in some thermal imagery-well, security is packed. Several guards are stationed outside and inside the compounds, as well as many of the bases several parts. It's going to be tough work, but you are the man for the job Snake."

"Just don't start to think I'm the master, 'cause I sure as hell-" Snake replied to Otacon.

"Aren't? Trust me, you're better than a team of top Navy Seals, you can handle this." Naomi said.

Snake sat there silently.

"Moving on" she continued. "We'll keep in close contact with you monitoring you via nanomachines, and keeping you updated on the situation, and the distance needed to travel. You won't be able use your radar, but, we're supplying you with a map to the base. This should be helpful, as well as our radio support with guided imagery should direct you the right way, but we're completely positive this shall be the correct path…"

Snake looked on from the desert, his cloak around him flapping in the night wind. It was stained a tan color, to help camouflage his presence away from enemy territory. His cigarette lit up the night air, the glowing end blowing off the tobacco ash. He thought back again to the briefing.

"Any motives by the terrorists?" Snake questioned.

"This has to be one of the strangest terrorist acts I have ever seen. No demands, no threats, just the holding of a nuclear bomb and a secret prototype of Metal Gear. I'm surprised they haven't launched a nuclear strike." Otacon addressed Snake.

"Why not launch a nuclear strike?"

Otacon sighed, and slowly answered, and began explaining the drastic measures that would need to be taken:

"A nuclear strike, but since it is foreign territory in Russia, any act would be violation of war, causing a second Cold War to begin. All hell would break loose, countries would turn against one another, and with the hundreds of Metal Gears in development by rival countries; it would surely mean an apocalypse."

He paused and took a small breath, and continued on from there. "A Seal Team could be sent in, but, since the circumstances are dire, only the best could be sent in. But, our friends at the Big Shell decimated Seal Team 10, and training takes more time than provided now. Action needs to be taken now."

"So that's where I come in, huh?"

"Correct," Naomi responded. "You are the last resort, and since you are the only skilled man available for the job, you are the one who can do this. The government has no awareness of these actions, being that this is a Black-Ops mission, top secret even to our current technological standards. All records of this mission will be stored via nanomachines, with all conversations recorded within your codec, moving throughout the bones in your ear to bloodstream, transmitting from there to our HQ in Manhattan."

"Snake, wait. We need to talk to you about one of our main contributors." Otacon blunted out.

"Huh?" Snake thought.

"Colonel Roy Campbell, he was….is a Patriot. He was fooling us all along, keeping in contact with Philanthropy, giving us classified information, all lies." Otacon said as he jarringly stared at the ground.

"I'm such a damn idiot!" Otacon screamed. He punched the wall, his knuckles rubbing against the paint. "I keep being fooled…" He quietly cried.

Snake only took one look, and lowered his eyes to the ground below. If anyone was a fool…he was.

"Dead or alive, Campbell is and has been a Patriot. I worked with him, knew him, more than as a superior officer…" Snake said reflecting on the past.

"…Only I always believed he was." Snake spoke as he continued as he eerily looked at Otacon.

Snake left his daydream and looked into the night sky. The desert seemed to go on forever. Yet, so little time until the end of the road, and the abyss of the inner levels of hell began. He thought again to the plane ride.

"HEY! Get up! HEY!" The officer spoke as he kicked Snake in the shins.

Snake blinked twice and open his eyes widely to stare at the officer. Only two hours of sleep before a mission, a true soldier's nap. He grabbed a cigarette and heard two loud beeps within the bone of his ear.

"Hey Snake," rang Otacon's voice. "Glad to see you're awake, how's the ride?"

"Can't complain, it isn't first class on this plane."

Otacon's laughing voice was heard over the codec, laughing at Snake's smart-ass attitude.

"Just don't get to comfy, the plane is reaching the drop point, as you just got your wake up call, I see."

Snake looked at the officer and grumbled, he wasn't too happy with the problems ahead. He couldn't help but be confused as why terrorists took over a facility only a few days after the Big Shell incident. "It was all too confusing" he thought to himself.

"Still getting set for the Big Jump?"

Snake grumbled.

"Well, you'd better get set, time's running out."

"Fine, god damn ride wasn't enjoyable anywa-." Snake said as he stared at the officer.

"Oh Snake? One more thing."

"What is it?", he wondered.

"Someone wanted me to tell you something."

'Better not be one of those proverbs again', Snake thought to himself.

"Tig Ole Bitties."

Snake started laughing to himself, it was the only thing Otacon heard over the radio. "Tell him thanks for me, will ya?"

"Sure.", Otacon responded.

"You'd better get going now Snake, no time to lose. And put out that cigarette! It's bad enough you don't read the surgeon general's warning, but what you're doing to your lungs is terrible."

"Fine." Snake spoke as he threw the cigarette away from his lips. He stood up, as the officer stared at him in the plane.

Otacon began loading down the information on the parachuting basics. "You've heard of the famous HALO jump correct? Well, you're going to be reenacting that today, we got lucky, weather's pretty clear, you've been green lighted by Naomi and Mei Ling for a clear jump.

"Are we cleared in Russian airspace? They're not going to be keeping a tight lip about this to the U.N." Snake imposed.

"Yeah, we're going to get some heat from this, but Philanthropy 'll survive, we made it through the Tanker, didn't we?" Otacon remembered.

Snake knew as well as Otacon, Philanthropy had to cover up his death on the tanker just to get the U.N. off their backs. It was going to be hell after this, before and after the mission.

"No KGB or Spetznaz involvement? Correct?"

"I'm sure, hacked Russian government computers, had hell of firewalls too, but got through ok, no traces, I'm sure of it. Overall, Russia is prepping for an assault on the base, but that's well within fifteen hours from now, given training and final preparations, gives us plenty of time to move in, and accomplish the mission. By the time you'd arrive at the base on quota would be 02:30 military time. Spetznaz will most likely move in by 08:00 maximum, so that gives us about five and a half hours to blow up the base, and get "Emma" out of there."

"Can she be trusted? We both saw her die."

"I don't know. She knew things about me Snake, personal things only E.E. would know, and it'd be a damn near impossible task to go to these lengths, but if there is any problems, then the drop jet you're hitching a ride on will come back and extract you. It won't interrupt the training, no worry, because it's only going to be a short lesson in piloting and controlling the plane. We aren't abandoning you, we're going to be here all the way."

"And what about-"

"The plane has three Vulcan barrel chain guns, so, I'm sure it could take care of most things that get in it's way. It'd tear apart a monolith of forces in seconds, so you won't have to worry about it going down."

"Good to hear. Glad this thing has something better to make up for this damn time."

"Ok, time to go, be sure to grab your C4 explosives, you're gonna need them."

"Don't think I need a parachute?" Snake said as he made a smirk.

"Of course that too Snake!" Mei Ling yelled.

The officer signaled Snake, handing him his gear, and Snake began preparing for the jump. He lifted the mask over his head, and began to stare through the colored lens. It was amber, a sign of determination. He hooked the long tube coming from the mouthpiece down into the air pack connected to his hip. He stood facing the tail of the plane, as the door at the rear hatch began to come down.

All he could see was a dark sky, no sun anywhere, just an eternal shadow cast over the land. It was both beautiful, and depressing. The wind from the plane's speed blew at his fingertips, though he could barely feel it. The officer, now donned in mask and uniform, told him his instructions.

"Take three steps forward!" The officer yelled through his mask. Snake followed the command.

"Good! Now, I need you to move the end of the line, face the sky, and jump off!" The officer commanded.

Snake followed, slowly pacing his way to the end of the hatch, and store off into the night sky. "Time to fly" he thought. He took the dive, falling, the wind pressing against his chest as gravity pushed on his back.

It began.

The sky was endless, stretching on for miles, and nothing else could be seen. Snake could only feel the wind, and it was the only sense working within him.

"Beep Beep! Beep Beep!" The codec was ringing within his ear, meaning it was time to pull his chute, and take a bit of a bumpy landing. He reached for his chord on his left patch on the parachute, and pulled it as far as it could go.

The parachute opened up in a flash, the air being pulled from beneath it, and sucked Snake back and made him halt from falling. The parachute worked out alright, to no surprise, and Snake finally saw some of the land below. The desert was maroon and parted, having hills and flat patches of sand. A light wind blew over the surface, picking up sand and moving it to and fro.

Snake was slowly falling, his weight pulling him closer to the earth below. "Beep Beep! Beep Beep!" "Christ, sometimes the people I know…." thought Snake, surprised at the constant calling.

He legs touched the sandy ocean, it felt so hard after floating in the air, it made him have a slight bump against his legs, forcing his knees to come down, hunching him over to lean on them. The wind pushed beneath the boots of his sneaking suit, his legs gradually rising up as the parachute fell behind him. Snake turned back and checked his gear, looking around to see if he landed close to the drop point. He stripped off the parachute attachments.

"Beep Beep! Beep Beep!" For the third time, the backup crew was anxious with desire. They wanted information, stats, and how the jump went. Snake was tired of the continual assault, so he gave in to their needs.

"What the hell is wrong with you! They give out codecs for straight communication, not a god damn waiting line." Naomi snapped at him. She was infuriated at Snake, sick of dealing with his "antics".

"Naomi, calm down, he probably couldn't have answered during the jump now." Otacon pleaded to her. Naomi stormed off, probably to get some coffee and blow off some steam.

"Ok, you landed safely, correct?"

"Yeah, other than a small bump, nothing too bad."

"Good, GPS is showing you at the drop zone, mostly a success, now just make sure your gear is ok."

Snake took off the backpack, and knelt down and began sorting throughout it. He saw all the gear, an M9 Tranquilizer gun, Glock-17, and ten magazines for each gun, all next to some rations, a PDA, binoculars and a combat knife.

"All clear."

"Snake!" Mei Ling interrupted. "The wise man did not listen only to his own council, but to the words of others in their councils. It means be a good sport and answer your radio once in a while, it might teach you a thing or two."

"More proverbs?" he thought. Snake just quickly responded with "Fine, just keep Naomi calm."

"Will do Snake!"

"Ok Snake, it's time you got on with the mission, you're pretty far from the base, but it should be less than two hours, you landed actually closer than we intended. I'd say you're right on time, maybe early. Just a warning, some of these guys aren't here to play around, they shoot to kill, no mercy."

"Nothing new to me."

"Good to know. Just be ready! Otacon halted his speech. "God be with you, Snake." He was afraid, he's lost so many things already, and he couldn't help but be afraid.

After that, the radio call was silenced, no more tedious calls, just the desert ahead, he got up from his knee, and picked up the PDA, looking at the map in the screen. 'Total Distance: 3.6 Miles.' He bent down, lifting up the backpack and hoisted it over his shoulders. It was going to be a long walk.

It was just the Snake, the sand, and the shadows. He walked along the hills of desert, hoping to reach the "Aura-Karin" in a short time…

Snake reawakened, looking at the PDA. He just remembered he stopped to take a short rest after the long walk. 'Total Distance: 2.4 Miles.'

He could see lights off in the distance, through the clear sky. He continued on his walk…

"Beep Beep! Beep Beep!" the Codec rang. Snake tapped on his ear twice and crouched down on his right knee.

"How's the base look?" Naomi inquired.

"Intimidating."

"Intimidating?" Naomi asked surprisingly, "Even for the legendary Solid Snake?"

Intimidating wasn't even starting to describe it. It had lights, cameras, large numbers of patrols around the base, no one was going to get in or out. It was lit up like a Christmas tree, you could see most, if not all of the base's entrances. There was a large garage; most likely holding some jeeps and maybe a tank, at least what it seemed like in the thermal scans. Second, there were a few guard stations, training buildings most likely, and a separate division for the scientists. Their quarters were in the west, near the new Metal Gear deep underground. This base had been used for the secret development to combat with the U.S. Military's RAY, so it was to no surprise that this place has been in use for several years now. The contact, "Emma", would be in the Western quarters. Each part had at least several floors and basements, a hangar at one part, and weapons storage in the East. Nothing was ever this intimidating. All surrounded thirty feet outside the base by a chained fence, which showed it didn't want anyone coming into close contact with the base.

Snake pulled out his binoculars and zoomed in on the illuminated base, seeing a patrol of three guards.

"These guys come in groups, this is not going be easy to do this."

He then zoomed in on one of the guard's weapons.

"Shit. They've got modified AK 47s, easier to aim judging by the adjustion to the folding stocks, makes it an overall accurate aim. And Makarovs from what I can tell. With the weapons storage holding a surplus of ammo, these guys pack some serious ammo, and a lot of it. You weren't kidding Otacon."

"Told you." Otacon bragged.

"No time for idle chit chat, time to get working, you've got a mission to complete. Just be careful. We're here if we need you Snake." Naomi told him.

"Gotcha. I'll call if I need some help." Snake slyly responded.

But off in the distance, Snake was being watched. He was being seen through thermal goggles by a mysterious figure, also outside of the base, hiding in the sand, zooming in on Snake. He had long brown hair, coming slightly over his ears, and was wearing thermal goggles observing the base. Lying in the sand, he quickly tapped on his ear.

"Colonel! This is Ghost. We have a situation."

"No, sir, the mission hasn't been compromised. Sir, it's Spetznaz, they've sent an agent early."

"Clearly it's possible! Are you sure the information couldn't have been leaked?"

"Somehow I doubt CIA firewalls could withstand heat from KGB or Spetznaz hackers."

"Ok, I'll try and find out who the hell this sonofabitch is, and how he could be here. One thing's for sure, he isn't CIA."

"Yes sir, if need be, I will kill him. Ghost out."

Ghost stared at Snake through his goggles, lifted them up, and turned to load his magnum. He got up from his prone position in the sand, and walked off into the darkness.

While walking along, he stopped, and while taking a look back he muttered to himself: "Who the hell are you?"


	5. A Preview Chapter

**Preview of Future chapters:**

"Yesterday, the secret development facility, Aura-7-Karin, was taken over by terrorists, yet there are no demands. This was a secret military base for the newest project, based on previous specifications of Metal Gear. The Russian government hoped to accomplish acquiring a Metal Gear to compete with the Military's Ray. After the hijacking of Ray-" "Ocelot…" "Russian officials supposedly closed down the facility…but, as the recent takeover shows, things aren't what they seem. Now, we first got word of this in a codec conversation made by a person calling themselves, Emma Emmerich, my sister, and warned us of the information. With this information, we need to move into Russian territory and find out if this information is true." "Why are we going if this is only a hunch?" 

"_Our contact, "Emma", sent us satellite imaging of the base, usual stuff, guards patrolling, thermal scans, and so on. The second set of our images, however, featured _

_about fourty plus thermals, plus altered guard patterns, the base had gone through a complete change. Russian officials are gonna get word of this soon enough, and you can expect hell to break loose soon after."_

…

"The consequence of war…is that there is always a loss to acquire victory…" 

…

"_Are you sure what you are doing is right!"_

…

"_I don't know…"_

…

"_So, it was a damn trick all along!"_

…

"_An A.I.!"_

…

"_To build a weapon that would silence wars in the world indefinitely… that was the dream of the scientist Alfred Nobel, creator of dynamite…I also wanted to make peace…with power, but how foolish…power demands control, but both lack each other…they always have. "_

…

"_Snake…you have to kill her…"_

…

"_Thine own sins are apparent…"_

…

"_You're just a trophy…to them…"_

…

"_Emma!"_

…

"_What we shall accomplish today shall start the second Cold War!"_

…

"_Show your patriotism."_


End file.
